A collection of Heraldic terms starting with “C”.
Celestial Crown - Distinguished from any other crown by the stars on the points or rays that proceed from the circlet.
Champagne - A narrow piece cut off the base of a shield by a straight line.
Chapeau - Cap of maintenance or dignity, borne only by sovereign princes. It is formed of crimson or scarlet velvet, lined with ermine. In certain crests it is used in place of the torse or crest wreath.
Chaplet - An ancient ornament for the head, granted to gallant knights for acts of courtesy. It is frequently borne as a charge in a shield of arms, and always tinted in its natural colors.
Charge - The figures or bearings contained in an escutcheon.
Checky - The field covered with alternate squares of metal or color and fur.
Chevron - This ordinary is supposed to represent the rafters of the gable of a house.
Chevron Couched - One which springs from either the dexter or sinister side of the shield.
Chevronel. - The diminutive of the chevron, being one half its size.
Chief - One of the honorable ordinaries. It is placed on the upper part of the shield and contains a third part of it. The positions are in the dexter chief, the middle chief and the sinister chief.
Chimerical Figures - Imaginary figures, such as griffins, dragons, harpies, etc.
Cinque Foil - Five leaves conjoined in the center.
Civic Cap - A cap of dignity borne by mayors of cities or corporate bodies: it is formed of sables garnished with ermine.
Civic Crown - A wreath of oak leaves and acorns.
Clarion - This charge is so called from its resemblance to a horn or trumpet. It is really a lance rest.
Clenched - The fingers pressed towards the palm of the hand.
Close - Applied to a bird with its wings closed.
Closet - A diminutive of the bar, being only one-half its width.
Closegirt - A figure whose dress is fastened round the waist.
Cloue - Nailed, said of horseshoes, etc., when the nails are of a different tincture.
Coat Armour - A loose garment worn over the armor of a knight; hence the term coat of arms. On this garment were emblazoned the armorial bearings of the wearer.
Cockade - The black cockade is worn by the servants of persons holding direct commission from the sovereign, and dates from the time of George I., who bore it as a vassal of the Emperor. There are two varieties-the fan-shaped, which is the military, and a round shape, which is naval and civil.
Cockatrice - A chimerical animal, a cock with a dragons tail and wings and two legs.
Collared - Having a collar. Dogs and inferior animals are sometimes collared; the supporters and charges are generally said to be gorged.
Combatant - A French word for fighting.
Compartment - A panel or mound placed below the shield on which the supporters rest ; or occasionally a motto may be placed.
Complement - The heraldic term for the full moon. When this figure is introduced as a charge in a coat of arms, it is called a moon in her complement.
Compon - A term applied to a bordure, pale, bend, or any other ordinary, made up of squares of alternate metal and color.
Conjoined - Joined together.
Contounee - Facing the sinister.
Cony - A heraldic name for a young rabbit.
Cordon - A silver cord which encircles the arms of a widow.
Cortise - One of the diminutives of the bend, being one-fourth of its size; cotises are generally borne on each side of the bend. The cotises are frequently of a different tincture from the bend they cotise.
Couchant - The French word for lying down with the breast towards the earth, and the head raised.
Couche - Is applied to a shield when it is placed in a diagonal position.
Count - A nobleman that was deputed by the king to govern a county or shire: the title is not used in the British Peerage; his rank is equal to an Earl.
Counter - In heraldry implies contrariety.
Counter-change - Is the division of the shield into two parts, one color and one metal, and arranging that the charges placed upon the metal are of the color, and vice versa.
Counter-compony - Is applied to an ordinary of two checks in width of alternating tinctures.
Counter-Embattled - Embattled on both sides.
Counter-flory - Any ordinary ornamented with fleurs-de-luce: the points of the flowers run alternately in a contrary direction.
Counter-Passant - Two animals passing the contrary way to each other.
Counter-Salient - Two animals leaping different ways from each other.
Couped - From the French word couper, to cut. The cross in the example is couped, part of it being cut off so as not to touch the edges of the shield. Also the head or limbs of any animal cut close is called couped.
Couple-Close - One of the diminutives of the chevron, half the size of the chevronel.
Courant - Running.
Coward - Signifies an animal with its tail between its legs.
Crenelle- The French heraldic term for embattled.
Crescent - The crescent moon with its horns turned upwards.
Crest - The ornament on the upper part of the helmet in heraldry placed over coats of arms.
Crested - A cock or other bird, whose comb is of a different tincture from the body, is said to be crested.
Craned - This is said of an animal whose hair is of a different tincture from it body.
Crosier - The pastoral staff of a bishop or abbot; a very frequent charge in ecclesiastical arms.
Cross - An honorable ordinary, more used as a charge in a coat of arms than any of the others.
Crusily - Having the field semee of crosses crosslet.
Cubit Arm - The hand and arm cut off at the elbow.
Curtana - The pointless sword of mercy is the principal in dignity of the three swords that are borne baked before the British monarchs at their coronation.
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